"Home of the Seneca Nation"
Salamanca by Rabbityama

Salamanca is where the Seneca Indians reside. There is a wonderful museum here that contains great information about the Seneca people (see my tip for information about the museum).

Information about the Seneca Indians

The Seneca Indians are divided into eight clans: the Heron, Wolf, Bear, Beaver, Snipe, Hawk, Turtle, and Deer. The Heron, Snipe, Hawk, and Deer Clans are called the "Bird Side" (yes, the deer is a member of the bird side!). The Bear, Wolf, Beaver, and Turtle Clans are members of the Animal side. Members of the Bird Side must marry a member of the Animal Side, and members of the Animal Side must marry members of the Bird Side. Marrying someone from the same side as oneself is considered to be incest. Once a man marries a woman, the family becomes members of the woman's clan. If a man from the Bear Clan marries a woman from the Heron Clan, then the man and the children will be members of the Heron Clan.

The Story of the Husk Doll

One of the most popular Native American artifacts is the dolls made out of corn husks. The Seneca have a story about these dolls that many people are unaware of:

There was once a beautiful woman who was very vain and flaunted her beauty. She constantly bragged to others about her own beauty, and she loved to sit by the river and admire her own reflection in the river. Her vanity angered to spirits/gods and so they punished her by taking away her face.

The husk dolls also do not have faces, so they are made to remind young girls not to be arrogant and to teach them that everyone is equally beautiful. It's quite an interesting story, and the message is very nice, too!